516 Massee . — On Trickosphaeria Sacchari , Mass.; 
the canes, with the view of throwing light upon the nature of 
the disease. 
A preliminary report was published in the ‘ Kew Bulletin ’ 
for July, 1893, and in this the macroconidia and microconidia 
of the present paper were considered as the first stage in the 
life-cycle of the fungus, and the Melanconium as the second 
stage, followed by the ascigerous condition. Extended cul- 
tures and experiments show that this sequence is not correct. 
The Melanconium condition is the first stage, its conidia pro- 
ducing macroconidia, which in turn yield the highest or 
ascigerous condition. 
It is probable that the fungus called Trullula Sacchari , 
E. & E., is identical with the macroconidia of the fungus 
under consideration, which does not accord with any known 
species. I have accordingly named it Trickosphaeria Sacchari. 
Macrosporium stage. 
All inoculation experiments were made on sugar-canes 
growing in the Lily House (No. 15) at Kew, and all cultures 
unless otherwise stated, were made in a solution of sugar-cane, 
prepared by soaking small pieces of cane in water ; after 
remaining for two days the liquid was filtered and sterilized 
by intermittent boiling. 
Conidia of the present form, obtained from West Indian 
canes, germinated in two days in a hanging drop. The conidia 
are continuous at maturity, but immediately preceding ger- 
mination, the contents separate at the middle into two equal 
portions leaving a clear space : but I was unable to demonstrate 
the formation of a transverse septum, although it is well 
known that the spores of some fungi that are continuous at 
maturity become distinctly septate and many-celled on ger- 
mination, as in many of the Tremellineae, each cell giving 
origin to a germ-tube. The same thing occurs in the pro- 
mycelium of Puccinia where the apical portion is divided into 
three or four cells by transverse septa, each cell producing 
a sporidium or secondary spore. The significance of this 
partitioning of the protoplasm into separate portions, in each 
